The End that Could've Been
by Tahkaullus01
Summary: Shepard denies the Catalysts choices and then we all skip over to 50,000 years later. But what about the last stand?


**Just a little drabble that I made in my spare time. It began life as a comment on Deviantart and then I just kept it around wondering what the hell I should do with it. Well now I've decided 'what the hell, stick it up on FF, see what they make of it.' Its all very rough, but you should be able to get the idea. Basically it's what we should've seen after Shepard refuses all the paths handed to him by the Catalyst. Don't tell me you didn't feel cheated out of a great fight scene when they just snapped off into the future. Well here's my version of it. Shepard's last stand.**

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**Mass Effect**

**The Ending that Could've Been**

Shepard stands before the entire squad.

Garrus, Liara, Tali, Wrex and Ashley/Kaiden

Then Miranda, Jacob, Grunt, Jack, Kirrahe (standing in for Mordin), Samara, Kasumi, Zaeed, another Legion platform (because I love the guy), Kolyat (because Thane should've been there), EDI, and James.

THEN, we have all the smaller sub-plot characters behind them (Tali's Quarian commando team, Grunt's Krogan squad, etc)

THEN behind THEM there's clan Urdot, the other surviving SPECTREs, the remnants of Hammer team, any and all of STG, a squad of Asari commandos, trained Drell assassins, whatever Turian forces are left, and a smattering of all other races...And if you look real closely Marauder Shields as well.

The Normandy flies overhead with whatever is left of Sword Fleet, rallying for one last blaze of glory, Joker cussing all the way, Gabby and Ken finally making a Scotty reference, whilst on the ground whoever you paramoured stands beside you as Shepard makes one final speech.

Something along the lines of...

_*Shepard stands before the last remnant of the galaxy's last hope. Beyond them, Harbinger, Land-Reapers, Husks and all manner of other kinds of hell are lumbering towards them.*_

Shepard: "Men...women...friends...comrades...today is where the fighting ends. We all knew that, one way or another, the conflict with the Reapers would end here.

I know all of you were expecting a different ending to this story...that somehow I would make a choice that would destroy the Reapers for good. But the truth is there was no choice to make that wouldn't be a betrayal.

The Reapers believe that they impose order. The Catalyst (points at the Citadel which is glowing Reaperishly) believes this maintains the balance of life. Those machines up there, they are the remains of all those that the Reapers harvested. We were going to be next.

But I would rather fight and die human than live as one of those...insults. So this is where I stop making decisions. This is where the orders end. But I'm gonna fight. I'm gonna shoot every last Husk that comes my way until I run out of bullets. And then I'm gonna beat them to bits with this gun! And THEN, when the gun falls apart I'm gonna tear them apart with my bare hands, until there's no fucking hands left to tear them apart with! Cos each one of those things I kill, I tell the Reapers 'I will not submit to your solution! I will not become one of you! I'm gonna live as a human and I'm gonna die as a human!'"

_*The Last Remnant gives off one last cheer, in support of Shepard or defiance of the oncoming Reaper horde, no one is sure...but now nobody really cares anymore*_

Shepard: "We've left our warnings. We've prepared for the worst. Well the worst has come! History tells us of a mighty Empire that was felled by the Reapers, but they left one hell of a story behind. Well, let's make sure the guys who dig up our bones have a story to tell their people! One last charge! Are you with me?!"

_*Last Remnant cheers*_

Shepard: "I said ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

_*Last Remnant EXPLODES!*_

Shepard: "Well then, let's get going!"

_*Shepard then turns on the oncoming horde and takes aim. His squad, his team, his friends, his family, stands alongside him.*_

Ashley: "Ready to rock Skipper."

Kaiden: "With you to the end sir."

Garrus: "I guess I'm buying."

Wrex: "Death and glory, Shepard. No finer ending than that."

Tali: "Keelah se'lai Shepard."

Liara: "May the Goddess light all our paths."

Jacob: "I'm right beside you Shepard."

Miranda: "Got your back, Commander."

Kirrahe: "We will hold this line, Commander Shepard."

Jack: "You better not die before me Shepard. If you do I'll kick your ass."

Grunt: "It's an honour to die at your side, Battlemaster."

Samara: "The Goddess's embrace is close at hand...but she can wait a little longer."

Kasumi: "Well if I'm gonna go, Shep, it might as well be here."

Kolyat: "Father, I shall be with you and Mother soon."

EDI: "Probability of survival is...incalculable. But I shall stand alongside you Commander."

James: "Eh, figured this was do or die. Was kinda hoping for the other option though."

Legion: "Shepard-Commander. I am...proud to confront the Old Machines with you, one last time."

_*A large Husk Creature comes forth and suddenly an ominous glow takes over its form*_

Harbinger: "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"

_*Yep, he's here.*_

Harbinger: "SHEPARD. YOUR RESISTANCE HAS FAILED. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF YOUR CIVILISATION. YOUR FUTILE ATTEMPTS AT DELAYING THE INEVITABLE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO RUIN. SUBMIT YOURSELF TO YOUR FATE. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO..."

Shepard: "Shut the fuck up."

_*Shepard shuts him up by shooting his head off. That signals the rest of the Husks to charge. Shepard gives the command to fire and all sides begin blasting away.*_

Shepard(V.O.): You just don't get it, do you Harbinger? None of you do really, 'cos when you traded in one form for another, you gave up something,(around him, allies fall, organic and synthetic)something that makes us better. A soul, the heart, fighting spirit. I dunno what it is, but we all have it, organic and synthetic.

_*Close up as a Geth collapses, it's eyestalk going blank.*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): It's what drives us to keep fighting, to remain as we are because we don't want to be like you: Cold...calculating...heartless. The Geth lived that life and found it wanting, and so started asking the question, the biggest question there is: Why? Those questions sparked a war that eventually ended in their evolution to a free species (a Quarian goes down, wounded, only for a Geth to suddenly stand over him, firing at the Husks), ready to protect their creators to the end.

_*Focus back on Shepard, shooting away, a set face of determination even in the face of oblivion*  
_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): We're all like that. We all have something to fight for, something to hope for...

_*Shot of Wrex and Grunt taking a pounding but not going down*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): Something to shoot for...

_*Garrus and Kolyat, team snipers firing away*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): Someone to live for.

_*James, Jacob and EDI duck down, evading enemy fire* _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): We all have dreams of a home we now know we'll never see...

_*Liara singularities the crap out of a group of Husks* _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): A house we'll never get to build...

_*Tali and Legion are side by side, hacking and blasting* _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): With friends we never saw coming.

_*Miranda, Jack and Samara let out their biotics to the max, blasting the Husks back* _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): So now, all we can do is hold the line...

_*Kirrahe holds the line*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): And hope that all our bluster is enough to keep us alive just another second longer...

_*The Normandy is destroying Reaper fighters left right and centre, shot of the cockpit, Joker shouting at them full blast, clearly swearing his ass off*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): Because if for just one second we forget why we're here...

_*Behind the Normandy, the Destiny Ascension explodes*_

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): We'll die.

_(Cut back to Shepard) _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): But that's not gonna be for a while. 'Cos if there's one thing I know...

_*Zoom out from the last stand, past the crippled Sword Fleet, past the Reaper forces, away from Earth, pulling out to an overview of the Galaxy* _

Shepard(V.O. CONT'D): Some things are just worth fighting for.

_*Fade to black.*_

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**And then we can have the clip of Liara's message, telling whoever's evolved in their place of what is to come.**


End file.
